Si Genaro is on stage back-announcing Rachel Henson‘s Imaginary Jam Band as I walk in, he then takes the music floor with a couple of surprisingly decent and straightforward tunes – he’s giving the beat-boxing a miss (apart from the last song of six) instead playing and singing his songs au naturel. Something that works well is whistling between his teeth, with a touch of reverb its very atmospheric. Shows that as well as being the performance, he can also be a performer.

Hannah Robinson starts her set with Monster, and continues with some more great work. Its better hearing her in this folk club venue, even though its noisier than a normal folk club evening, its still quieter than the music pubs and clubs she normally frequents. Her voice is very clear, the guitar work very open and delicate.

After a short interval (where I take the opportunity to catch up with some of the great and the good in the room) Ant Henson takes to the stage. I’ve not heard him in such a long time; I realise I’ve missed the rotund sounds from his 12 string when I hear them again.

He’s inviting various people to join him in songs, Tom Francis starts with him on Djembe, first joiner is Nicky Hann on flute for something fairly contemplative; they explain that she was the one that really got him gigging through a Parisian busking tour years back. Leo joins next, he’s accompanied Ant with percussion pretty much everytime he’s played recently. They all leave and Fran Milner joins Ant, to “cover his mistakes on piano”, as he puts it. He does a cover of an Our Blinkered Eyes song, Glass Eyed Doors. Next up are Tom Flanery and Si Genaro on duelling harmonicas as the pace picks up, such that the music is fast and furious by the time Tom Francis and Leo rejoin on percussion for 20 42, a supposed spoof song that kept its place in Ant’s set as its turned out he likes it.

Had a fun show with a shakily starting Radio Boscombe and Olly (HopeFM’s latest work experience student who elected to stick around for LiveWire Live). The shaky start was thanks to Radio Boscombe‘s special guest not being able to make it due to illness, and one third being away, the other being en route as usual, leaving Gary to perform on his own, which he does admirably. Laura joins us later as usual and entertains with her usual life stories, this time she also includes a guitar and plays and sings a couple of her own songs, a good surprise!

On to Chaplins, where we’re full upstairs with one very raucous birthday party (happy birthday Sophie), while a wake continues elsewhere in the garden and balcony, with hot air balloons and all. Alex is being the Admiral tonight, Elliot the Shineyside being snowed up with Uni work. Mike joins Alex on bongos to make a small ensemble.

Paul Kelly is on next, with a digital piano that is set up in seconds, amp and all. He starts with a dedication to the memory of Levon Helm (of The Band fame), take a Load Off Annie, he has a really active jazz/ honky tonk style, working really weel on the decent keyboard. Paul slickly slips between numbers and sections, with a few interlude stories intertwined around why he’s playing the songs he’s chosen.

Neil follows with pretty standard guitar chords, yet a pretty good voice. Always gonna be hard to impress me following a decent keyboard player, like Neil has to now. He’s playing a mixture of ballads and up tempo numbers, and is a real crooner for the former.

Xander Allen is up next, with a little combo of Selby, Dave and Julian They’re doing some rap and beat poetry, medleyed with various dance anthems that get everyone singing a long.

Tina is my final vocalist before I leave, I miss the name of her guitarist, he’s some dude playing wicked Jazz guitar, while Tina belts out some Amy Winehouse, Marvin Gaye, and Duffy numbers.